DOrSU honors Dr. Lea A. Jimenez’s legacy of service
Davao Oriental State University (DOrSU) paid tribute to one of its most distinguished academic leaders, researchers, and environmental advocates through a Salamat-Mabuhay Program held on April 14, honoring Dr. Lea A. Jimenez as she marked her retirement after more than three decades of service to the University.
The program served as a recognition of Dr. Jimenez’s enduring contributions to instruction, research, innovation, and extension, particularly in advancing marine science, coastal resource management, biodiversity conservation, and community-based environmental stewardship.
From her early years as an instructor at the then Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology (DOSCST) to her appointment as a full-fledged professor of DOrSU, Dr. Jimenez built a career deeply anchored in science and environmental stewardship. She taught Biology and Environmental Science courses and mentored generations of students who would later carry forward her commitment to the protection of terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems.
Her academic journey reflects the same discipline and excellence that defined her professional life. Dr. Jimenez earned her PhD in Higher Education (major in Biology) from Davao del Norte State College, and obtained her Master of Science in Fundamentals and Applied Marine Ecology through a Belgian Government Scholarship from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium, where she graduated as Magna Cum Laude. Her work would later span marine ecology, biodiversity conservation, coastal resource management, marine pollution monitoring, blue carbon assessment, and ecosystem-based coastal management.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Jimenez became one of the university’s strongest pillars in the Research, Innovation, and Extension (RIE) Division. She served as Regional Director of the Regional Integrated Coastal Resource Management Center XI from 2007 to 2025, leading and supporting initiatives that advanced science-based coastal management, marine biodiversity protection, and community-based conservation. In 2025, she assumed the role of Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Extension, further strengthening DOrSU’s RIE direction and its role in addressing urgent environmental and development challenges.
Her body of work includes nationally and internationally funded projects supported by institutions such as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. These projects covered critical areas such as marine litter, seagrass ecosystems, fisheries sustainability, artificial reefs, coastal ecosystem modelling, blue carbon, and regenerative approaches to marine conservation.
Among her notable contributions is her involvement in the development of the Speedy Sea Scanner, a submarine observation system and observation image processing program patented in Japan in collaboration with the University of Tokyo. This achievement reflected Dr. Jimenez’s capacity to bring local marine research into international scientific and technological platforms.
Her scholarly work also helped expand DOrSU’s presence in marine and environmental research. She published and co-authored studies on shoreline changes, mangrove structures, seafloor monitoring, marine megafauna and plastic pollution, blue carbon, climate change impacts on fisheries, marine turtles, cetaceans, and coastal ecosystem monitoring. Her research outputs consistently reflected a clear purpose: to make science useful for communities, ecosystems, and policy.
Dr. Jimenez’s service extended to various technical working groups and environmental bodies, including initiatives related to the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, Mayo and Balete Bays, and other provincial biodiversity conservation efforts. Through these engagements, she helped bridge academic research with local governance and community action.
Her contributions earned her several recognitions, including the Gawad Pagkilala from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in 2023, the Presidential Award of Excellence in Service from DOrSU in 2022, and the Outstanding Agricultural Scientist Award in 2019.
Through the Salamat-Mabuhay Program, DOrSU celebrated not only the close of Dr. Jimenez’s formal years in government service but also the legacy of a mentor, researcher, colleague, and leader whose work has influenced students, strengthened communities, and advanced the University’s place in marine and environmental research.
As she enters a new chapter, Dr. Jimenez carries with her the gratitude and admiration of the DOrSU community. Her legacy lives on in the students she guided, the researchers she inspired, the partnerships she nurtured, and the conservation efforts she helped advance.
Her retirement is a celebration of a life’s work marked by passion, purpose, and service. While her formal tenure in the University has come to a close, the seeds she planted in science, stewardship, and mentorship will continue to grow in DOrSU and in the communities she faithfully served.
